RIP: Richard Matheson (1926 – 2013)

Sad news…io9 is reporting that Richard Matheson has passed away at the age of 87.

Matheson was a giant in the field, writing such classics as I Am Legend (1954), Born of Man and Woman (1954 collection), Third from the Sun (1955 collection), The Shrinking Man (1956), A Stir of Echoes (1958), What Dreams May Come (1978), Richard Matheson’s “The Twilight Zone” Scripts (1998) and Volume Two (2002), Other Kingdoms (2011) and so many more. He has also scripted some of the genre’s most memorable scripts, like The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), House of Usher (1960), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), The Raven (1963), The Last Man on Earth (1964 as “Logan Swanson”, based on I Am Legend), The Legend of Hell House (1973, based on his novel), Somewhere in Time (1980, based on his novel), Twilight Zone: The Movie (Fourth segment “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”, 1983), as well as episodes of Twilight Zone (16 of ’em!), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Star Trek: The Original Series (“The Enemy Within”, 1966), Duel (1971), The Night Stalker (1972), Night Gallery, Amazing Stories (1987), and more.

Recognition

TSP On This Day

I probably won't like the film, but the trailer looks neat. The Autobots Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide and Sideswipe led by Optimus Prime, are back in action, taking on the evil Decepticons, who are determined to avenge their defeat in 2009's Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. In this new movie, the Autobots and Decepticons become involved in a perilous space race Continue Reading →

REVIEW SUMMARY: Important to the dystopian genre, but a difficult and often boring read. MY RATING: BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The diary of a member of the OneState who begins to question his life and the virtues of the state, due to the attention of a rebellious woman. MY REVIEW: PROS: interesting ideas, historical significance CONS: unsympathetic characters, disjointed narrative, scarce descriptions Continue Reading →

According to MSNBC, William Shatner is the #1 Overrated Star. No doubt, this has Shatner displeased. Also making the list, Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger and Matrix star Keanu Reeves. Oh, and Ben Affleck.

MY RATING: BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A gothic interpretation of Alice in Wonderland using stop-motion animation. PROS: Imaginative and visually stunning CONS: Close-ups on Alices' lips as she narrates got a little annoying; Perhaps not for very young children BOTTOM LINE: This very surreal, gothic version of Alice in Wonderland is one that I'll watch over and over.

Well lookee here. Back in 1966, Harry Harrison collected the all of the editorials from Astounding Science Fiction (now known as Analog) written by then-Editor John W. Campbell and published them as John W. Campbell, Collected Editorials From Analog. This book is available on the Internet Archive, freely downloadable in a variety of formats. Enjoy! [via eBookNewser]